Wood, Plastic, and Metal Post Installation, Protection, and Replacement Device

ABSTRACT

A device made of metal or strong plastic that fits the portion of a post that is below ground having an open upper end, a closed lower end, and surrounding side walls with portions of the walls that go up the side of post above the ground some distance less than the length of the post above the ground (see the accompanying diagrams in Document EZMZ Drawing of Invention—FIG.  1 - 12 ). The device is dimensioned such that the open upper end has dimensions for receiving the lower end of the post therein with some slightly more significant margin of adjustment in one of the X Y axis and some less significant margin in the other X Y axis. The device fits posts of various sizes with rectangular, cylindrical and triangular shapes. The portion of the side wall that extends up the sides of the post above the ground has an array of holes for fastening the post to the device with bolts or screws. The bottom of the device has an array of holes for drainage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a metal or plastic device that goesbeyond prior art and products currently available in the marketplacewith a novel design that provides enhanced protection from moistureinduced damage such as tot in wood posts, deformation in plastic andwood posts, and oxidation in metallic and plastic posts. This Inventionalso goes far beyond the prior art and currently available products inthe marketplace by greatly enhancing the ease, efficiency, and outcomeof post Installation and replacement. The prior art mentioned below isrelated to post fixtures and sleeves above and below ground. ThisInvention was originally derived absent knowledge of the prior artlisted below and is unique and novel as compared with it. The onlycommonality with the prior art listed below is that the inventions dealwith posts and/or the device attaches in some manner to the post.

The use of support devices and protective sleeves for ground anchors isknown in the prior art. By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,317 toKlumpjan discloses a fence post bracket capable of holding the postabove ground level to provide drainage and reduces deterioration. U.S.Pat. No. 5,720,134 to Kurtz discloses a support post utilizing a plasticbase to prevent wood rot from moisture, U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,613 toBaecker discloses an invention utilizing a plastic sleeve to cover awood pole to prevent deterioration. U.S. Pat. No. 6,386,296 to John andJohn discloses an invention that provides a plastic collar dimensionedfor receiving this lower end of the wooden post that makes the claims ofaiding in the protection of the lower end of a wooden post from rottingwithin a hole in the ground while making insertion and removal from thehole easier.

While these inventions fulfill their respective intentions and generalobjectives, the majority of the aforementioned patents do not describean in-ground device that protects the post in the same technical manneras presented in this invention. U.S. Pat. No. 6,886,296 does make theclaim of protecting the post with a plastic sleeve. Moisture damagesposts of most materials placed in the ground. Moisture will cause somedamage to posts to occur below ground level in dirt, rock, or cement.The greatest damage to posts from moisture is usually right at theinterface of the post to ground or the in-ground fixture. U.S. Pat. No.6,886,296 utilizes a plastic device that is according to the inventiondimensioned for receiving the lower end of a wooden post or similar indimension to the post. The snug fit, as opposed to an open fit, of thesleeve in U.S. Pat. No. 6,886,296 described, can result in moisturebeing held at the interface of the post and the ground and/or the postand the sleeve. Also, it can result in moisture escaping more slowlyfrom the pert of the post below the ground. The invention described inthe matter of this current application enables air flow around theentire post inside the device including in the ground and at the groundand device level. This greatly enhances the protection of the posthelping the whole post perform similarly from a damage point of view tothe part of the post that sticks out of the ground (e.g. the postperforms similarly to a post that is completely above ground).

U.S. Pat. No. 6,886,296 to John and John also claims improved theinsertion and removal. However, it does not address the challenges ofpost placement relative to the structures (for example: fences, decks,light posts and other) the posts are integral with for new andreplacement applications as this invention does. This invention, thesubject of this application, allows for the placement and preparation(digging, device ready, and cement, dirt, rock, etc., backfill) of allof the holes absent the post and the structure. The advantage is similarto a custom Job shop factory (prior art) versus an assembly line (newinvention), as the holes can be fully prepared absent the posts and anyother part of the structure. Also, this invention allows for very easyreplacement due to the margins discussed as part of the device design.Structures settle, shift, warp, and otherwise change over timepreventing a perfect fit to original layout and specifications. Thisinvention, via the margin in the device, allows a post to be replacedwithout significant difficulty or changes/modifications (for example:jacking up as structure, trimming or otherwise modifying it, etc.) andto result in a replaced post with the strength and rigidity of a brandnew installation. The prior art, again, is similar to custom work withit costs, time, effort, and variation of result vs. an efficient andpredictable assembly line like setup. Furthermore, the new invention, asopposed to the prior art, always produces a superior, sturdy, repeatablefixation of the post to the ground.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1—This figure contains a drawing of the basic rectangularconfiguration of the invention with nominal dimensions, two opposingears (attachment brackets—Dim D), and related notes providing additionaldefinition and information related to dimensional specifications andmaterials used in the invention.

FIG. 2—This figure contains a drawing of a manifestation of theinvention with associated dimensions which match the configuration ofthe invention shown in the accompanying document(5EZMZManufacturedExampleoftheInvention.pdf) which is a manufactured,tangible example of a configuration of the invention.

FIG. 3—This figure contains drawings depicting the rectangularconfiguration of the invention in the context of its appliedenvironment: in the ground, generally surrounded by fill (except for theportion above the ground level), with a post inserted into theinvention.

FIG. 4—This figure contains drawing and related notes depicting arectangular configuration of the device in one of its applications as anintegral part of a fence securing a rectangular fence post.

FIG. 5—This figure contains a drawing and related notes depicting arectangular configuration of the device in one of its applications as anintegral part of a fence securing a cylindrical fence post.

FIG. 6—This figure contains drawing and related notes depicting arectangular configuration of the device in one of its applications as anintegral part of a fence securing a triangular fence post.

FIG. 7—This figure contains a drawing and related notes depicting acylindrical configuration of the device in one of its applications as anintegral part of a fence securing a cylindrical fence post.

FIG. 8—This figure contains a drawing and related notes depicting acylindrical configuration of the device in one of its applications as anintegral part of a fence securing a rectangular fence post.

FIG. 9—This FIG. 15 a repeat of the materials in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10—This figure contains a drawing and related notes depicting acylindrical configuration of the device in one of its applications as anintegral part of a fence securing a triangular fence post.

FIG. 11A—This figure contains a drawing of a configuration of theinvention depicting the invention with a single ear (post attachmentbracket—Dim D in the drawing).

FIG. 11B—This figure contains a drawing of a configuration of theinvention depicting the invention with two adjacent ear brackets (postattachment bracket—Dim D in the drawing) and corresponding notesdescribing an orientation of the ear brackets with 4 ears (one for eachside of a rectangular post) and a description that the various earorientations apply to the cylindrical post and device depictions of theinvention presented in this file.

FIG. 12—This figure contains a drawing that matches the configurationdepicted in FIG. 2 (FIG. 2, of these drawings with the exception ofdepicting a different variation (one of many variations) of the fixationhole patterns in the ear (post attachment bracket) portions of theinvention.

1. A metal or plastic device for assembly line like ease of placement ofnew wood, metal, or plastic posts and the accompanying structures theposts support in a new construction. The device made of metal (forexample: steel, iron, aluminum, titanium, other) or strong plastic (forexample: ABS, Polycarbonate, PVC, polyurethane, polypropylene, 3-Dprinting plastics, other) of a thickness that maintains its rigidity andshape with dirt, rock, sand, or cement placed around it in the ground(0+ to 10+ feet deep) that fits the portion of a generally rectangularpost that is below ground. The device has an open upper end, a closedlower end, and surrounding side walls with portions of the walls that goup the side of post above the ground some distance less than the lengthof the post above the ground (see the accompanying diagrams). The deviceis dimensioned such that the open upper end has dimensions for receivingthe lower end of the post therein with some slightly more significantmargin (0″+ to 24″ nominal plus the post width—e.g. 4″ square post couldhave a device 4″ to 28″ in length) of adjustment in one of the X Y axisfor ease of placement and some less significant margin (0″+ to 2″nominal plus the post width) in the other X Y axis for general ease ofinstallation and fixation. Margins greater than these in both X Ydimensions are also considered within the scope of this invention, butgenerally less practical. The margin in the X Y axis (z being into theground) enables allowance for ease of creation of the ready to installpre-fabricated post holes. The holes can be dug, the device put intoplace in the hole and back filled with cement, dirt, rock, sand or othermaterial. The margin in the device X Y dimensions provides allowance forpositioning the post that makes the pre-fabrication of the holes easierand faster while allowing for a final structure that is easier to puttogether in a more precise manner. To enable positioning of a structure,the portion of the side walls that extend up the post above the groundcan be on one or two opposing sides when placing a fence, allowing thefence panel to fit within the device portion extending above the groundthus enabling repositioning of the structure. The portion extendingabove the ground can also be one to four sides for a supporting postapplications (e.g. deck posts, pilings, other). Once in position theportion of the side wall that extends up the side of the post above theground has an array (1 to many depending on the X Y dimensions) of holesfor fastening the post to the device with bolts or screws creatingexcellent rigidity, strength, and stability.
 2. A device that enablesease of in-ground post replacement with like new fit, strength andstability. A metal or plastic device for easy replacement of a damagedor broken wood, plastic, or metal posts. The device is made of metal(for example: steel, iron, aluminum, titanium, other) or strong plastic(for example: ABS, Polycarbonate, PVC, polyurethane, polypropylene, 3-Dprinting plastics, other) of a thickness that maintains its rigidity andshape with dirt, rock, sand, or cement placed around it in the ground(0+ to 10+ feet deep) that fits the portion of a generally rectangularpost that is below ground. The device has an open upper end, a closedlower end, and surrounding side walls with portions of the walls that goup the side of post above the ground some distance less than the lengthof the post above the ground (see the accompanying diagrams). The deviceis dimensioned such that the open upper end has dimensions for receivingthe lower end of the post therein with some slightly more significantmargin (0″+ to 24″ nominal plus the post width—e.g. a 4″ post could havea device 4″ to 28″ in length) of adjustment in one of the X Y axis andsome less significant margin in the other X Y axis (0″+ to 2″ nominalplus the post width). Margins greater than these are also consideredwithin the scope of this invention, but are generally less practical.The margin in the X Y axis (z being into the ground) enables allowancefor ease of removal and more importantly ease of replacement andrepositioning of the new post. This margin is significant in being ableto fit the post back into its correct position within the existingstructure that it supports such as between fence panels, under a deck,other. The invention allows for ease of post replacement to structureswhich have changed over time (e.g. settling, warping, etc.)—somethingthat conventional post placement and current art does not allow for(e.g. no allowance for repositioning, or forced to reset post in newhole). To enable repositioning of a structure, the portion of the sidewalls that extend up the post above the ground can be on one or twoopposing sides when placing a fence allowing the fence panel to fitwithin the device portion extending above the ground. This enables andfacilitates repositioning of the structure. The device can also have oneto four sides that extend up the post above the ground for a supportingpost application (e.g. a deck post, piling, etc.). Once in position theportion of the side wall that extends up the side of the post above theground has an array (1 to many depending on the device dimensions) ofholes for fastening the post to the device with bolts or screws creatingexcellent rigidity and stability (as if the post were newly set in thehole).
 3. A metal or plastic device that provides novel protection forthe lower end of wood, metal, or plastic posts from damage due tomoisture induced rot, deformation, and/or oxidation while the post ispositioned within a hole in the ground. The device is made of metal (forexample: steel, iron, aluminum, titanium, other) or strong plastic (forexample: ABS, Polycarbonate, PVC, polyurethane, polypropylene, 3-Dprinting plastics, other) of a thickness that maintains its rigidity andshape with dirt, rock, sand, or cement placed around it in the ground(0+ to 10+ feet deep). The device fits the portion of a generallyrectangular post that is below ground. The device has an open upper end,a closed lower end, and surrounding side walls with portions of thewalls that go up the side of post above the ground some distance lessthan the length of the post above the ground (see the accompanyingdiagrams previously mentioned). The open upper end is dimensioned forreceiving the lower end of the post therein with some slightly moresignificant margin (0″+ to 24″ nominal plus the post width—example: postis 4″ wide, device could be 4″+24″ or 28″) of adjustment in one of the XY axis (z being into the ground) and some less significant margin in theother X Y axis (0+ to 2″ nominal plus the post width). Margins greaterthan these are also considered within the scope of this invention, butgenerally less practical. The X Y margin provides protection for thepost by generally providing a space of air around the post enabling thepost to remain dry (with similar environmental exposure to the aboveground portion of the post). This is superior to other protective postinventions which do not allow the significant air space, especially atground level where most posts degrade and fail. The design and materialof the device is such that an air barrier around the post can beachieved while still enabling the post to be rigidly positioned andfastened into the ground (with a strength as if there were no airspace). The bottom of the device has an array (1 to many depending onthe device dimensions) of holes for drainage to further protect thebottom of the post.
 4. A derivative claim of claims 1-3 in which themetal or plastic device achieves those claims and has the same generaldimensions of the device relative to the post described in those claimswith the device having a rectangular, cylindrical, or triangular shapeand used in application with any combination of a wood, metal, orplastic post having a rectangular, cylindrical, or triangular shape Thepart of the side wall of the device that extends above the ground up thepost in the rectangular device is as claimed in claims 1-3. The devicewith the cylindrical configuration can extend above the ground with afull cylindrical configuration or a semi-cylindrical configurationallowing for a structure to pass through the portion of the devicesidewall above the ground directly to the post. The device with atriangular configuration can extend above the ground with only onesidewall above the ground or all 3 sidewalls above the ground.
 5. Aderivative claim of the device in claims 1-3 of a metal or plastic(rectangular, cylindrical, or triangular) device as described here to beplaced in a hole in the ground that is backfilled with cement, dirt,sand, or rock around the device with the device having adequate strengthand rigidity to prevent deformation from the backfill where such devicewill be used to easily receive and fasten a wood, plastic, or metal(rectangular, cylindrical, or triangular) post providing comparablestrength, rigidity, and stability to the post as if it were directly incement or otherwise buried in the ground.
 6. A derivative claim ofclaims 1-3 where the metal or plastic device with side walls that are ator extend above the ground the desired height has an array (1 to manydepending on the device dimensions) of holes in those portions of thesidewalls at or above the ground level for bolts or screws that resultsin excellent rigidity, strength, and stability of the inserted post. 7.A derivative claim of claim 3 above, in which the metal or plasticdevice structure presented in this invention with portions of thesidewall that extend up the post some distance above the ground protectthat part of the post above ground from damage due to lawn equipment andlawn care.
 8. A derivative of claim 3 above, in which the metal orplastic device structure presented in this invention with the bottomportion of the device in the hole has a slat orientation (long rows ofcut outs) rather than holes for drainage to prevent lack of drainageassociated with plugged holes (holes are more likely to plug).
 9. Aderivative claim of claims 1-3, in which the metal or plastic devicepresented in this invention is configured such that the outside of thepart of the device in the ground is roughened or shaped with patternsthat cause the surface to have greater surface area for improvedadhesion/hold of the device to the cement, earth, rock, sand, otherplaced against it at the time of the hole preparation and backfillaround the device.